Calgary Guide | 20 Best Things to do in the City

Calgary, Alberta is the centre of Canada’s oil industry. It’s a fun city with over 1 million residents, making it the third largest city in the country. Known for the Calgary Stampede, the 1988 Winter Olympics, Calgary Flames hockey team, the Caesar cocktail drink and it’s proximity to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, it’s a beautiful city to visit. Two of my best friends live in Calgary and I’ve visited almost every year for the last 10 years! It’s often overlooked by people visiting Canada who choose to go to Vancouver (west coast) or Toronto (central Canada), but it should absolutely be on your list. Read on for your Calgary guide, including tips from locals!

Prince’s Island Park and Eau Claire Park and Market

Prince’s Island Park is in downtown Calgary, host to many festivals and events. Take a walk along the many paths, pack a picnic with goodies from the Eau Claire Market, bring your kids to the fun playgrounds, cross-country ski or skate in the winter, and more! Dog’s are on leash and the River Cafe opens in the summer. If you stop at the Eau Claire Market, you’ll cross the Bow River Pathway bridge over the Bow River. Grab a coffee from Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters in the Simmons Building Cafe before crossing the bridge.

Peace Bridge

The peace bridge crosses the Bow River and is an active transportation bridge (i.e. a bridge for people walking/cycling across the river). It’s an iconic bridge in downtown Calgary and worth a visit day or night. For my fellow photographers, head down the rocks below the bridge for an epic view!

Go for a Hike

No Calgary Guide is complete without an outdoor adventure. While Alberta is known for Banff National Park and the Rocky Mountains, there are plenty of places to hike much closer to Calgary. Bragg Creek is the gateway to Kananaskis about 30 minutes from Calgary. The views are great and the paths are open year round. If you head a bit further to Kananaskis, the County includes five provincial parks, four wildland provincial parks, one ecological reserve and several provincial recreation areas! Kananaskis County is a bit closer to Calgary than Banff, and also has a new Nordic spa.

Calgary Farmers Market

The new Calgary Farmers Market at 25 Greenbriar Dr NW is an indoor market with over 75 vendors. It is open daily to browse local artists, fresh food and an interactive barnyard play area for kids.

Dining

An entire Calgary Guide for food alone could be written. Calgary’s restaurant scene is top notch and there’s hundreds of restaurants to recommend so I’ll list a few and you can choose for yourself. Alberta is known for top quality beef so, if you eat meat, I highly recommend trying a steak while you’re on the west coast.

• The Wilde for the chicest vibes on a rooftop
• Dirtbelly in the Core
• Pizza from PZA. The ingredients are so fresh and the gluten free pizza is fantastic.
• YYC Hot Chocolate Fest is an annual event hosted by Calgary Meals on Wheels in February. It showcases local restaurants and helps support a local charity.
• Kabuku for sushi
• Analog Cafe booth
• Jelly Modern Donuts
• Diner Deluxe where I highly recommend the rosti
• Our Daily Brett Market and Cafe

Chinook Mall

Chinook Centre is Calgary’s largest shopping, dining, and entertainment destination. The centre has over 250 stores including major department stores Hudson’s Bay, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue. It’s easy to spend a few hours here, if shopping is a priority!

Calgary Tower

The Calgary Tower is a 190.8-meter free standing observation tower in downtown. It offers the best view of the city. There is a restaurant you can eat at that rotates during your meal. You can visit daily year round, and might catch a sunset if you time your visit correctly. Prices are $19/adult or $9/child.

Calgary Public Library

An award winning library in downtown Calgary, it was also listed as one of “The Worlds 100 Greatest Places of 2019” by Time magazine. The library is free to enter and wander around, and it is architecturally stunning. Make sure to snap a few photos!

Heritage Park Historical Village

An historical 127-acre park in Calgary, the Village is open May to Thanksgiving and Heritage Town Square is open year-round. Here, you’ll find exhibits for western Canadian history from the 1860s to the 1950s. It is Canada’s second largest living history museum. Plan a Holiday Tea, visit the Railway Cafe, and shop at the Haskayne Mercantile Block. Admission is $9.95/adult or $4.96/child.

Calgary Stampede

The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition, and festival held every July in the City. It lasts for 10 days and starts on the first Friday of July (second Friday if the first Friday is Canada Day or the day after Canada Day). The stampede is an absolute blast and the entire city celebrates. It became an annual event starting in 1923! The Calgary Stampede deserves it’s own blog post and I hope to make it back one day to do so!

Read more: 10 Things to Do During the Calgary Stampede

Shop 17th Ave & The Entertainment District

17th Ave SW is Calgary’s Retail and Entertainment District. There are over 400 unique shops ranging from locally made retail stores to large luxury brands and everything in between. Eat at small bakeries or an award winning restaurant, or go out for a night on the town! It’s an iconic Calgary street and a must visit when in the city.

Stephen Avenue

Another iconic street is Stephen Avenue. It is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary, open to vehicles only from 6 pm to 6 am. It houses some of the best restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as boutique shopping.

Olympic Plaza

If you’re in downtown Calgary, stop by the Olympic Plaza. It is the location of the medal ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics and turns into a free ice skating rink in the winter. You can rent skates and helmets from the Skate Hut (in the park).

Calgary Flames game at the Saddledome

A quintessential Canadian activity in this Calgary Guide, is a hockey game. The Saddledome is home to the Calgary Flames, a Canadian National Hockey League (NHL) team. The average ticket price is $50 and live sports are a fun night out, even if you don’t regularly watch hockey!

WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park

If you’re visiting in the winter, make sure to stop by the Canada Olympic Park. The winter Olympics were hosted in Calgary in 1988 and many of the facilities are still being used today! If you’re visiting from out of town, you can rent ski gear at Rapid Rent where the staff were so helpful and friendly. I definitely recommend renting gear from here if it’s close!

Cowboys Dance Hall

A world famous dance hall, head to Cowboys for a fun night out! Perfect for a group of friends to enjoy country music and dance the two step. Don’t worry if you don’t know how – it’s a friendly dance and someone at the club will teach you!

The Rocky Mountaineer

If you’re looking for a luxury train ride through the mountains, the Rocky Mountaineer is your stop! Not for the budget traveller, as packages start around $1800 CAD, but it IS a luxury activity. Short journey’s take 2-3 days onboard, with 1-2 nights in a hotel.

Scotsman’s Hill and McHugh Bluff Lookouts

If you’re looking for a stunning view in this Calgary Guide, look no further than Scotsman’s Hill and McHugh Bluff Lookouts. Scotsman’s Hill overlooks the Scotiabank Saddledome, home to the Calgary Flames (NFL) and host of the annual Calgary Stampede. McHugh Bluff overlooks downtown Calgary, with winding paths to wander down the hill into residential areas.

Fort Calgary

A 16 hectares (40 acres) historic site and a National Historic Site of Canada, this one is for the history buffs. Take a step back in time and enjoy Fort Calgary as it would have looked in the 1800s, complete with workers in historic dress. Monthly walking tours are offered or private group tours are available to pre-book.

BONUS: Visit Banff National Park

While definitely not in Calgary, a trip out west without the mountains seems like a missed opportunity. The easiest way to get to Banff National Park is to drive from Calgary (minimum 1 hour drive to the eastern limit of the park). However, if you don’t have access to a car, On-it Transit is the cheapest option from Calgary to head to the Town of Banff. From there, there are bus shuttles to the most popular destinations in Banff National Park.

Read more: Banff Road Trip | Ultimate 4-day Fall Itinerary